Back to the mainland - to Tanga.
(Painted by Fadhil Ratab Raisy (Tinga Tinga Cooperative) in Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania 2014
From Mkokotoni on Zanzibar I traveled back to Tanga (Tanzania) on the main land.
This journey turned out sort of adventurous. We were supposed to leave the island at 2 pm, but ended up leaving only at 6 pm.
The sun was setting and it was a romantic atmosphere, floating in the soft water over small waves, the full moon starting to show in the sky.
On board with me were 15 men, 70 bags of rice, 1 Sony TV set, 45 oil cans and lots of milk in bags. Halfway through our journey, the waves started to get bigger and before you could say knife, the fish I had eaten before we left the island were reunited with their brothers and sisters in the sea.
I got really very sick. Then it started to rain and everybody tried to find refuge underneath a plastic cover that reeked of oil and fish. At 1 am we arrived in Pangani where we were anchored for another 4 hours.
Some of the cold water from the plastic cover splashed in my face and I started smelling like oil and fish as well.
After deboarding , I pushed my bike on muddy roads through deep woods to the next village, where I got on my bicycle again and headed to Tanga.
Btw: I paid more than the double price for the Transport, than the locals, because I am
a little foreigner. ( as usual )
Best greetings from NALA
"NALA and the annoying shawl"
(Painted by Sharifa Juma Mohammed (Sherry Henna Art) in Stone Town,
Zanzibar 2014
Seriously, it’s about time I leave here again. Wearing this shawl the whole time is very annoying. I want to enjoy the sunshine again … uncovered.
And since I don’t have hair to begin with, I can’t cover it anyway.
So off goes the shawl …
On the island I met Anna and Kombo. Anna was from Sweden and Kombo from Zanzibar. I stayed with them for 2 weeks in their cute house with a roof made of palm tree leaves which the locals call makuti.
A lady called Ute from Baden-Württemberg in Germany made me a few kangas which I like very much. But still, the shawl is getting on my nerves.
I cycled all around the island and enjoyed the ease of life on the island. In Mkokontoni,
I got on board of an old, rickety, wooden cargo dhau (sailing boat) and made my way back to the Tanzanian Coast to Pangani near Tanga.
You can imagine that this part of my journey wasn’t a piece of cake, but I will tell you more about it later.
So stay curious!
Yours NALA.
Pssst: If you want to see more Artworks from Sharifa,
just click here: Featured Artists from Zanzibar
"NALA alone in Stone Town"
(Photo taken by André Pilz in Stone Town, Zanzibar 2014
Stone Town … what a time I had there!
I remember how I always got lost on my way back to the hotel from my visits to the market or the beach. Those little alleys in Stone Town all look alike.
I just couldn’t remember the right way.
I knew it until a certain intersection, but after that point … no clue. I always got to the road sign there and then I wasn’t sure whether to turn right or left, I think it was right, or maybe left, or straight ahead and then left or right?? I had no idea!
I turned right … wrong, I have been here before and it was the wrong way.
Ok, back to the road sign … but where is it? Little “know-nothing” me took the wrong turn again!
Let’s see … there is the road sign, but it’s on the left side and it is supposed to be on the right side. Did I walk in circles? Hmmmm … I kept walking straight on and then turned right, wrong turn, let’s try turning left.
Ah, this place looks familiar; I think we are getting somewhere here. I remember the small shop with the pumpkins outside. I kept on going straight ahead and turn left into the next alley. Wrong! Man … not again!
Oh well, back to the shop with the pumpkins. But where do I go from here?
Back again or … wait… I think I can spot the luxury hotel there at the end of this alley and I remember walking past it on my way to the beach. I think I will walk to that hotel and ask the doorman if he knows the way back to my hotel. But what’s the name of my hotel again? Darn, I forgot! Something starting with the letter “P”.
Think, think, think … I got it … Pearl Hotel. The doorman explained me the way and after about 10 minutes I was back at my hotel. It took me two hours to make my way back from the market to the hotel, and that didn’t happen only once, it happened almost every day!
Back at the hotel the fat owner, who doesn’t manage to get out of his armchair all day, greeted my friendly with one of his sweaty smirks.
I went straight to bed because the stresses and strains of the day had worn me out.
And the next day the search for the way back to the hotel would start all over again.
Good night my dear friends, sleep well!
Yours NALA
"NALA in Zanzibar" (Painted by Jamila Mzee Mataka and Mwanakhamis Mohamed (Mwana) from the Hurumzi Henna Art Gallery in Stone Town, Zanzibar 2014
NALA in Zanzibar
Immediately after arriving in Zanzibar I had to cover my head with a sort of shawl. Actually it’s used to cover hair which I don’t have, but I had to wear it anyway.
In addition to that I had to wear a long black cloak which is called baibui. In other Arabic countries they call this kind of cloak abaya. It’s often made of sheep wool or camel hair and decorated with different designs. The kind of material and design can show your social status and affiliation with a certain tribe.
But I didn’t really want to worry about all this too much because I was sweating so much with that cloak on and I decided to wear a typical Zanzibari kanga instead. This kind of garment consists of 2 big pieces of fabric; one is being wrapped around the hips, the other one covers the head and the shoulders. And wearing this I didn’t have to sweat anymore…. And I was setting out to conquer the “Isle of Spices”.
The next day I visited the Forodhani Gardens Night Food Market in Stone Town, wearing a black baibui again. It was a good chance again to find something nice to munch, for instance delicious kebab, seafood like octopus and calamari, grilled meant and Zanzibari pizza.
I wiped my greasy hands on my cloak … nobody was watching.
With a full belly I made my way back to the hotel and slept like a baby until the next morning.
Soon I will tell you what happened next …
Greetings from NALA
NOTE:
If you want to see the process of this Artwork, please see NALA in ZANZIBAR on the right navigation or click here.
INFO:
The women of Hurumzi Henna Art Gallery transform traditional henna body arts into paintings and prints .
Using a centuries old tradition of adorning women’s hands and feet for celebrations such as weddings and festivals, the artists translate the patterns of the body art onto canvas creating a new and soon to be iconic art style through their elaborate paintings.
What began as a workshop for 10 women henna artists in 2007 became a thriving women’s cooperative engendering an entirely new style of painting.
The results are vibrant and exciting designs characterized by swirling forms and bold floral motifs surrounded by repeating background patterns. This style is uniquely their own; it does not resemble other East African painting styles and represents the exciting creation of what is clearly a Zanzibari invention.
Within the larger style each woman has her own unique way of working with motif, color and pattern.
The Hurumzi Henna Art Gallery is changing women’s lives, producing a new artistic style and beneficial means of income that has improved their way of life.
On most days, you may visit the women painting and printmaking in their art studio above the gallery at 242 Hurumzi Street in Stone Town, Zanzibar.
latest update: 27.December 2020
NALA in Valencia, Spain (español abajo)
Hello my Friends,
many greetings from Valencia in Spain.
Today I visited ,,Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciéncies,,
( Science Museum) in Valencia, Spain.
The weather can not be better for my little city adventure.
Soon I sent more photos from this amazing City.
Come and visit Valencia.
I wish you all a great week.
Take care and keep in Touch.
Yours NALA
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NALA en Valencia, España
Hola mis amigos,
muchos saludos desde Valencia en España.
Hoy visité la Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciéncies en Valencia, España.
El clima no puede ser mejor para mi pequeña aventura urbana. Mañana les envié más fotos de esta increíble ciudad.
Ven a visitar Valencia.
Les deseo a todos una gran semana.
Tenga cuidado y mantenerse en contacto.
Tuyo NALA
Hello Friends of NALA,
Here I present you another unique NALA Artwork from Ecuador.
Nala explores nature while riding a llama.
The Artist is Mika Játiva from Quito in Ecuador.
Thank you, Mika for this extraordinary Artwork.
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Hola amigos de NALA,
Aquí les presento otra Obra de Arte NALA única de Ecuador.
Nala explora la naturaleza mientras monta una llama.
El artista es Mika Játiva de Quito en Ecuador.
Gracias, Mika por esta extraordinaria obra de arte.
This NALA Artwork is now exhibited at Zeitz Mocaa Art Museum
in Cape Town / South Africa
22. October 2020 till 10. January 2021.
NALA and Graffity Ana by Richard Scott
Richard Scott is a very well known international British artist who lives in Cape Town. He refined my 2013 NALA painting with his Grafitty Ana.
I visited Richard in his studio in Cape Town in 2019.
He was immediately enthusiastic about my NALA Project and enhanced my little NALA painting with his art.
This NALA painting is now hanging from
22. October 2020 - 10. January 2021 in the
Zeitz Mocaa Art Museum in Cape Town in a special exhibition. "Home is where Art is"
A Big "Thank you" goes to Andrea Schachler. She helped me so much, that this Painting found the way to the Art Exhibition at Zeitz Mocaa. Thank you, Andrea.
Hello friends of NALA.
please see Article here: Nala helps
You will surely remember the NALA Corona Art artworks by Joan Otieno from Nairobi, Kenya.
With the help of my NALA Project, the Kenyan Artist Joan Otieno sold small NALA artworks for over 400 euros. (40,000 ksh)
Many thanks to the buyers from Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Each sale ensured that everyone had enough rice and beans or corn porridge and vegetables to eat, and the Warembo Wassani Art Center continued to help underprivileged children improve their future.
Unfortunately, these small NALA artworks are still in Kenya and could not yet be sent to Germany due to Corona and high-cost transport costs.
DHL asked for an amount of 300 Euros for 6 kg of recycling art.
If you are flying from Kenya to Germany or Switzerland in the near future, please let me know.
Maybe you can bring the NALA Art package with you.
Thank you for reading.
André Pilz,
The NALA Art Project.
The Ecuador - Peru cyclingtrip is cancelled because of the current CORONA pandemie.
I start as soon as the situation is getting normal and no risc for health and life.
I wish all my friends, website followers and all people i dont know yet, good health and stayed strong.
NALA visits Ecuador and Peru.
www.the-nala-project.com
Long-distance cyclist André Pilz from Kassel, Germany will be visit with his NALA art project the countries of Ecuador and Peru.
André and Nala cycled approximately 16,500 km in 3 years
from South Africa to Ethiopia.
On the road, they met 119 artists from 15 countries, who
supported the Project with more then 160 NALA Artworks.
Now they going to South America and looking for painters
and sculptors support the NALA project.
NALA is a little African girl who had the dream
traveling behind the mountains and escaping from home
to explore the world by bicycle.
The artists tell NALA's travel story through
works of art that are shown in traveling exhibitions.
There have already been 8 Art exhibitions in Africa and Europe.
If you want to participate in the NALA global art project,
write me an email or a message on Facebook.
thelittlenala@gmail.com
FB: TheNalaProject
only 5 more available ( 15 NALA Art Memory sold )
The Nala Project presents,
The NALA Art Memory Game.
#StayHome - limited edition 2020
36 selected NALA artworks by artists from 15 countries now enrich your gamenight at home.
Stay at home and play; The NALA Art Memory Game.
More Infos here: NALA Products
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Das NALA Kunst Gedächtnisspiel.
#StayHome - limited edition 2020
36 ausgesuchte NALA Kunstwerke von Künstlern aus 15 Ländern bereichern jetzt deinen Spielabend zu Hause.
Bleib zu Hause und spiele; The NALA Art Memory Game.
..............................................................
The Nala Project presenta,
The NALA Art Memory Game.
# quedarse en casa - edición limitada 2020
36 obras de arte seleccionadas de Nala de artistas de 15 países ahora enriquecen tu noche de juegos en casa.
Quédate en casa y juega; El juego de memoria de arte NALA.
NALA ART Booklet ready for Download
The NALA ART Booklet is now available as PDF File for download.
Selected Artists show amazing NALA Artworks from southern and east Africa.
NALA Slideshow video on YouTube
On YouTube you can see the little video, which we shown during the NALA ART Exhibition in Germany.
This Video shows André´s and Nala´s artistic bicycle Journey through Africa.
The titles are in german language, but there are very nice photos to see.
Follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkB-UHgOeo
It will be lovely if you can leave a comment about the NALA Project here: Opinion about The NALA Project.
Thank you very much
Yours NALA and André
I am currently in: Aarau, Switzerland
Tel. +41 76 823 1367
Email: thelittlenala@gmail.com
Current mission:
+ André and NALA are back in Germany to promote
The NALA Project and their Artists. Searching new Exhibition Space.
Next destination
We will start to our NALA Art Project Cyclingtrip through Ecuador and Peru as soon as Corona Pedemie is over.
Cycled kilometer: 16.425 km
Tourstart by Bike was: Monday April 1, 2013
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